Ravens lose running back Lewis to torn ligament in knee

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis tore a ligament in his left knee during practice Wednesday and is likely lost for the season.

Lewis, who rushed for team-record 1,364 yards as a rookie last season, walked off the field shortly before the end of the morning practice carrying his left knee pad. He was not limping.

The injury was originally diagnosed by Ravens trainer Bill Tessendorf to be a bruise, but an MRI on Wednesday night revealed a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and a sprained collateral ligament. The ACL will require surgery.

''This is difficult for Jamal. He worked so hard to prepare for this season, and he certainly is a very important player for us,'' Ravens coach Brian Billick said in a statement. ''As a team, we have to move forward and find other ways to get the production we lose with Jamal's absence. We will adjust. We have to adjust.''

Broncos' Davis still battling injuries

GREELEY, Colo. -- Broncos running back Terrell Davis will not play in Denver's first preseason game Saturday at Dallas because of soreness in his right knee and tightness in his right hamstring.

Davis, the 1998 NFL MVP, has not practiced since last Saturday because of swelling in his surgically repaired knee. An MRI exam showed degenerative effects commonly seen after knee surgery.

''I wouldn't play him Saturday even if he did rehab between now and then,'' Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday. ''I'd be tentative with a sore knee and hamstring to put him in.''

The two-time Pro Bowler had the same surgery last season and missed all four preseason games before returning for the season opener. Elliss is expected to miss three weeks.

Couch's brace is preventative, not reactive

BEREA, Ohio -- Tim Couch, plagued by injuries in his first two seasons as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, is wearing a brace on his left knee. He insists nothing is wrong.

Couch came out for the morning practice on Wednesday with the brace, then took it off after about five minutes and kept if off for the remainder of the workout.

''I'm being honest ... when I say that everything is fine,'' he said. ''This brace is no big deal. It's merely a precautionary thing, to keep anything from actually happening.''

Rams' Agnew hangs up cleats

MACOMB, Ill. -- St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Ray Agnew retired after 11 years in the NFL to take on a dual staff role as director of player development and team pastor.

Carolina's Weinke to see action today

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Carolina quarterback Jeff Lewis will start Friday against Jacksonville, with rookie Chris Weinke as the backup. Coach George Seifert said the Heisman Trophy winner would get significant playing time.

''Jeff Lewis is going to start and Chris Weinke is going to back him up, the two of them will play three quarters of the game,'' Seifert said. ''Exactly how much they will play, I can't be totally specific. But it will be fairly equal as far as those three quarters are concerned.''

Packers' Collins find Favre's velocity greater than Johnson, Flutie

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Bobby Collins ran his route and barely saw the ball from Brett Favre before it hit him in the numbers and ricocheted to the grass. Welcome to Green Bay, kid.

The newest tight end reinforcement joined the Packers at practice on Wednesday and impressed his coaches with his size, speed and skill.

He caught four of five passes, but the most memorable was his miss.

''It was a rocket from Favre, I don't think he's caught one at the velocity just yet,'' coach Mike Sherman said. ''So, he needs to get on the Jugs machine and make sure he cranks that thing up as high as it can go so he's used to catching those balls.''

Redskins' Raymer has fluid in knee

CARLISLE, Pa -- Redskins center Cory Raymer missed practice because of fluid on his knee. It's the same knee he injured during training camp last year, when he missed the entire season.

Defensive end Marco Coleman sat out again with a sore knee, and he is now doubtful for Sunday's opening exhibition game at Kansas City.

Running back Jamall Dinkins suffered a mild concussion at the morning practice and missed the afternoon session.

Torn ligaments lessen star of Cowboys' Yamini

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Receiver Bashir Yamini, who has made an impression on the Dallas Cowboys, won't play this season after tearing ligaments in his right knee.

The injury suffered during practice Tuesday is similar to the one that forced receiver Joey Galloway to miss all of last season.

In the Cowboys' preseason opener last weekend at Oakland, Yamini had three catches, one a leaping 18-yard touchdown reception.

Cardinals' rookie Davis: A big contract for a big man

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Leonard Davis signed on the dotted line. His next move will be donning an Arizona Cardinals uniform.

The 6-foot-6, 370-pound offensive lineman, the No. 2 pick in the draft, agreed to terms with the Arizona Cardinals late Tuesday. But he missed practice Wednesday afternoon while the league's Management Council pored over the $35 million, six-year document. Approval came in the late afternoon.

Absences pile up for Patriots' Glenn

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Terry Glenn missed practice for the fourth consecutive day Wednesday as the New England Patriots refused to say whether they would take any action against their star wide receiver.

Glenn's agent, James Gould, had said the team told him it would suspend Glenn for the season if he didn't appear at practice Wednesday.

The Patriots have not confirmed that and coach Bill Belichick said after the second of Wednesday's two practices that there were ''no updates, no news.''

Gould did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Last Friday, the NFL suspended Glenn for the first four regular-season games for violating its substance abuse policy. The team didn't practice Saturday, and Glenn has missed all five practices starting with the Sunday afternoon session.

Gould said Tuesday that the Patriots won't trade Glenn, leaving him a choice between returning to the team or retiring. Glenn's contract runs through the 2007 season.

The league suspension allows Glenn to practice and play exhibition games during training camp but bans him from working out or playing with the team for the first four games after that.

Belichick, growing weary of talking about Glenn, said Wednesday, ''I don't know anything'' after completing two days of practices with the New York Giants. The teams face each other in their exhibition opener Friday night.

The Patriots stocked up on wide receivers in the off-season, signing free agents Charles Johnson and Torrance Small from Philadelphia, Bert Emanuel from Miami and David Patten from Cleveland. They also have Troy Brown, who led them with 83 receptions last year, and Tony Simmons.

Glenn had 79 catches last season. His five-year career total of 315 is fourth most in team history.

His personality is harder to measure.

''I know him pretty well,'' said Brown, a Patriot in Glenn's five years with the team, ''but, as usual with Terry, nobody knows him really well.''

Last May, Glenn pleaded innocent to a charge that he assaulted the mother of his son. The woman retracted the charge in an affidavit. In another affidavit, the son said, ''Daddy pushed Mommy.''

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe said Wednesday he didn't know of any Patriots who contacted Glenn since the NFL suspension was announced after Friday morning's practice, the only one that day.

''I'm concerned for Terry. He's a guy that I consider a friend,'' Bledsoe said. ''With him not here, we're moving on and working with the guys that are here.''

Glenn, the seventh pick in the 1996 draft out of Ohio State, set an NFL rookie record with 90 catches. In 1999, he had a career-high 1,147 yards receiving, and 2000 was his first injury-free season.

''We can't replace him with one guy,'' Brown said. ''I just hope he's all right away from football. That's the first thing I'm worried about.''

Glenn signed a six-year, $50 million contract extension last year that included an $11.5 million signing bonus. In June, the Patriots withheld a $1 million payment on the bonus until he worked out his personal problems.

''I just hope he gets his situation handled where he can continue on with his career,'' Small said. ''He seems like a good person.''

Glenn was suspended by the NFL reportedly for failing to submit to testing within the 24-hour period stipulated by the league after notification in April. Gould said Glenn passed a test three days later.

Before his absence, Glenn had missed most of the Patriots practices with a knee injury, giving others more work at wide receiver.

''Competition is really high over there,'' Johnson said. ''Whatever decision he makes, we're going to have some depth.''

While Glenn's future remains uncertain, the Patriots prepare without him.

''It really, honestly, hasn't been a distraction,'' Bledsoe said. ''We didn't see much of Terry throughout the off-season and through minicamps and so on and so we've just kind of moved on.''